Celebrities take different approaches when it comes to labeling their licensed product arrays, as they try to reach a balance between capitalizing on their fame and establishing a merchandise program that can thrive on its own merits.
The first option is for fan-favorite personalities to conduct their licensing and collaboration activities under their own names, as they and their partners rely on their high levels of awareness to spur success for the products. From Paris Hilton to Jessica Simpson to Tony Hawk, this has historically been the most common form of celebrity branding strategy for licensed merchandise.
A second alternative is for celebrities to market their goods under a separate brand name, which they hope can live on even after their fame ultimately wanes. A brand can potentially add credibility, reduce risk, and prevent the perception that the products are just novelties. Of course the celebrities’ involvement is no secret, and the brand name is often closely tied to their career, interests, or other characteristics.
Madonna’s Material Girl brand came from the name of one of her songs; Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs’ Sean John uses his given first and middle names; Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and Mariah Carey’s Mimi are based on nicknames; and Julian Edelman’s JE11 is tied to his initials and on-field number. Justin Timberlake’s William Rast, Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge, Blake Lively’s Preserve, and John Rich’s Redneck Riviera are among the growing list of celebrity-backed brand names in the world of licensing and collaboration.
More recently, a third strategy has been gaining frequency. Celebrities and their licensees are marketing their products under hybrid labels that combine a brand name with the celebrity’s signature. Examples include MuttNation Fueled by Miranda Lambert, JoJo Freestyle by Danskin (tied to JoJo Siwa), ED Ellen DeGeneres, Melissa McCarthy Seven7, and CALIA by Carrie Underwood. This approach potentially brings to the partnership both the consumer awareness that is the primary benefit of celebrity licensing and the longevity typically associated with a brand.
Some celebrities use different branding strategies for different product lines, depending on category, target audience, retail tier, and other factors. Gwen Stefani, for example, has used stand-alone brand names for her L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers, Harajuku Girls, and Harajuku Mini lines; her own name for some of her collaborations, such as the UD x Gwen Stefani eye shadow collection with Urban Decay; and hybrid labels for other products, such as her gx by Gwen Stefani accessories line for ShoeDazzle.
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